Number 90 posted:That throwing of the fusee in the air to signal the head end that all were aboard and ready to go sometimes went badly, if it was not used with common sense. A Santa Fe Brakeman (who had just enough experience to think he was a lot more experienced than he actually was), who had been shown that procedure at a remote siding on the plains, arced one skyward at Birds, Texas, and burned down a house.
Or on one occasion I know of, the lighted fusee landed in a load of coal ahead of the caboose. After being flagged down by a tower operator 20 or so miles down the road, the car was set out, the fire department of the small town where the set off track was notified, and the company phone lines/communication system on the telegraph poles along the right of way was buzzing. As with any serious incident, in railroad jargon this was known as the "wires being hot" only in this instance, they literally were….
